A Major Test of Strength
by hylianprincess1234
Summary: There's a fine line between love and hate... As Zelda ventures with Link and they continue to delve deeper into the memories they've created, she soon discovers that her struggles, her suffering and her failure seems to be overlooked by the rest of Hyrule. The only one who can understand the burden she carries and spark a fire within her heart, is the one man she swore to hate...
1. The Mess I've Made

Part 1: The Mess I've Made

My skin burned as the icy rain pelted against my bear arms and back. The downpour matted my hair to my face and I could feel my tears begin to swell up, threatening to spill over the brim. I held a shaky breath in my lungs, trying my hardest to keep the tears captive. Don't let them fall. Don't cry. It's not strong.

Royalty doesn't falter.

My skin spread thin across my knuckles as I clenched my hands into a fist and dug them deeper into the mud. The dirt caked on thick to my palms and buried beneath my nails. My sacred triforce emblems lying delicately on my slender wrists, tainted with dirt and filth.

 _Don't do it_. I warned myself. _Don't cry_ …

"How?" The words left my mouth before I even knew what I was saying. "How did it come to this?"

Just yesterday I was hopeful, I was surrounded by people I loved, I was safe, I was royalty…

Now, I'm disgraceful, rejected, hunted, alone and… I've lost my Kingdom.

I bent my head further as I choked back the tears that had started to cloud my vision. It was because of me and my failure to harness this sealing power that my home, the Kingdom of Hyrule, had ultimately been destroyed. The calamity had turned all of my friends, my family, the Divine beasts, the Guardians, _everything_ against me. It even murdered my father.

And it was all my fault.

Somehow, this muddy, tarnished forest floor seemed to be where I belonged. It was the perfect home for a failure. No one would want to join me down here… Why would they?

The sound of a sword entering its sheath caught my attention and my ears perked up. I held my breath as I caught a glimpse of him gently lowering his body to the ground. He cautiously leaned in toward me and joined me in the mess I've made.

For one small moment as I raised my gaze to meet his vibrant blue eyes, I didn't feel so alone.


	2. Meant to Live

I remember it like it was yesterday. To this day I can still hear the screaming and the panic as Hyrule's best doctors crowded around my mother's bedside attempting to ease her suffering. I've never seen my father so pale… or so helpless.

It was hard to not get caught up in the chaos. As doctor's debated what ingredients would work best to create the perfect elixir to cure my mother's illness, I looked on, horrified from the corner of the room.

Nobody noticed me. It was easy to look over me. I was a quiet, petrified six-year-old. I was the least of their concerns.

But I noticed everyone.

"There's a flower!" I heard one doctor yell from across the room. "It's a rare and endangered species. It's possible it could work."

 _Flower_.

My heart practically jumped out of my chest.

I knew this flower. I knew what they were talking about. It was my mother's favorite flower. Of course it'd work!

"What's it called?!" The other doctor hollered over the roar of the crowd.

"It's evading me!"

"Silent Princess." I answered. My voice was barely audible even to my own ears. I took a step closer, my tiny hands forged into even tinier fists.

"Silent Princess!" I cried.

But, no one noticed me.

No one, but _her_.

As I glanced back and forth between the doctors hurriedly pouring through Hyrule's finest botany collection, my gaze fell upon my mother.

Her sparkling green eyes had paled to gray, her skin had sunken in around her cheeks and her lips had turned cracked and coarse. But, despite the life visibly leaving her, she gave me a sweet smile and with what little strength she had left, she reached out to me.

I was paralyzed with a mix of emotions. Fear, frustration, horror and shock all coursed through my body. But nothing stung me deeper than the need to save my mother. I had to save her… and I knew how to! All I had to do was run to my room, grab the flower she had picked for me a few days prior and bring it here. It would take me less than five minutes.

I turned my back to my mother and ran out of the room.

I can still hear her whispering my name as the door creaked to a close...

I bolted down the corridor, past the royal family portraits, and through the great dining hall. I burst into my room, snatched the Silent Princess off of my bedside table and furiously retreated back to my mother's chamber.

As I flung myself through the deep mahogany doors, I froze, the Silent Princess outstretched in my hand.

It wasn't the grim view before me that had caused me to halt so quickly. No, it was the _silence_.

The yelling, the debating, the arguing, the chaos, all had stopped. My mother's chamber was dead silent. The doctor's all bowed their head in mournful prayer and I saw as my Father allowed a single tear to escape.

The silence was deafening.

I let my gaze slowly fall upon my mother and for a moment, I could have sworn my heart stopped beating.

There she lay, motionless. Her eyes plastered to the very spot where I stood, lifeless. Her hand still outstretched toward me. Her lips, still parted as if she were whispering my name.

I don't know if my heart ever truly started to beat again after that moment. They tell me that if I listen carefully, I can sometimes here it pounding away in my ears. But, I never heard the pounding, and since that day, I never again felt it race.

All I remember hearing through the deafening silence was the quiet thud as the wilted petals from my Silent Princess fell to the floor.


	3. Lay Your Armor Down

"Link!" I whipped my head in the direction of the voice calling my name. The second I turned away, the Ironshell crab I was attempting to ensnare pinched at my finger and escaped.

"Ah!" I jumped back and shook the pain out of my sore finger.

"Link," Mipha repeated as she approached along the edge of Lake Mikau. "You can't keep trying to catch these crabs with only your bear hands. We have equipment for this sort of thing!"

"Mipha," I sighed and took a seat at the water's edge. "My father says that if I catch and eat an Ironshell crab it'll improve my defense." I took a good long look at my injured finger and realized that the crab had nicked me pretty good, I was actually bleeding. Mipha swiftly took the seat right beside me. "If I'm going to be anything like him, I need to prepare for it."

"You've got time," She sighed. "You're only eleven."

"No better time than the present!" I started to jump up but Mipha caught hold of my injured hand. I winced in slight pain.

"Don't be so reckless!"

I stayed seated for a moment longer. She gently pressed her fin into the palm of my hand and I felt the familiar warm tingling sensation begin to ignite under my skin. I watched as Mipha used her Zora healing power to sooth my damaged hand.

I injure myself practically on a daily basis, and without fail, Mipha has always healed me. She's never told me why, but she never complains. I think she even likes doing it.

"Your father's a good man," She softly spoke. "You'd like to follow in his footsteps?"

"Of course I would!" I exclaimed. Mipha released her hold on me and I examined my newly healed finger. Leaning back against the soft ground, I rest my head in the palm of my hands. The clouds above us swirled into a mix of shapes, but none threatened to unleash any raindrops.

"My father's a part of the Royal Guard. He's one of the Knights that guard the Princess." I paused for only a moment as I thought of all the rigorous training my father had to go through in order to win the position as a Royal Guard… there was no way I even slightly compared.

"He can't tell me everything, but I know the Princess often travels to distant parts of Hyrule, parts that I can't even imagine. The things my father has seen…" My voice trailed off as I imagined myself exploring all the things he's done. "Well, it's a whole lot more than what I've seen in Hateno Village."

Mipha gracefully laid down next to me on the grassy pillow. As I stared off into the clouds imagining all the places I wished I were, I felt her gaze peer into me. "You know," her voice was soft and cool. "You can live a life of adventure without becoming a Royal Knight."

"I know." I answered, still imagining fighting Bobokins and Lizafos at every bend. "But, what would be the point?"

"The Princess means that much to you?"

"Hyrule means that much to me."

There was a rumble from deep within the ground and I jumped to my feet. I heard hollering start to rise from Zora's Domain below and instinctively I jumped in front of Mipha, determined to protect her from whatever was stirring below.

As I cautiously peered over the ledge, my rigid body slightly calmed. I recognized the royal crest of Hyrule on the flags and the shields of the approaching soldiers. But, then my eyes caught hold of something and my body again became still.

From far below, I saw my father running up to the entrance of Zora's Domain. The Zora soldiers immediately allowed him to pass and blared their horn for the arrival of the Royalty... but I didn't see the King or the Princess approach. No, I just saw my father running toward the throne room.

Just before he vanished from view, I caught a glimpse of what he was holding so dear in his arms… A spec of bright blonde hair wisped out from his arms as he rounded the last corner into the Zora King's throne room.

 _Princess Zelda._

"Lady Mipha!" I was jolted back into reality as the urgent voices of the approaching Zora soldiers caught my attention. "Your immediate presence in King Zora's Chamber is demanded."

Mipha immediately rose to her feet and addressed the soldiers. "What seems to be the matter?"

The Zora soldiers paused for a moment as they suspiciously eyed me. I don't blame them, I'm neither nobility nor royalty. To them, I'm just some random Hylian. "It's the Princess." One of the guards finally answered. "She's been hurt."

"I'm coming." Mipha confirmed and with a graceful dive, the two soldiers and Mipha disappeared into Lake Mikau traveling via waterway to the King's royal throne room.

There I stood, helpless and alone on the water's edge as the chaos brewed below. I wanted to help. I may not have healing powers like Mipha, but there must be something I could do to help.

I heard thunder begin to rumble from somewhere off in the distance and it sparked a fire in my veins to take action. I was running before I even knew it. I hurried past the winding staircase that led to the Zora entrance, through the bridge which poured into the city and before I could even remind myself to breathe, I arrived at the threshold of the Zora King's throne room.

"What happened?" The King's voice boomed.

"She was giving a ritual at the Spring of Wisdom when she passed out in the freezing waters." My father reported.

I took a step closer to the group of soldiers huddled around the foot of the throne. I passed unnoticed as I poked my head through the cracks between the body barricade the soldiers made. When my eyes caught hold of the Princess lying motionless on the floor, my blood ran cold…

I'd never seen Princess Zelda before.

My father always spoke of how elegant, wise and beautiful she was, and I've heard stories of how her fair skin seemed to glow with a sacred power whenever she gave her blessing, but nothing prepared me for this moment.

Nothing prepared me for how pale her skin looked as she lay frozen on the floor of Zora's Domain. Nothing prepared me for the blue tint that shaded her lips as the freezing waters of Mount Lanayru took its toll on her.

Nothing prepared me for how such dedication in such a young girl could be so costly and threatening… and she wasn't even as old as me.

"She was at Mount Lanayru?" The Zora King's voice boomed. "She isn't old enough to be there. Only someone who has reached the age of seventeen is allowed upon the mountain!"

Just then Mipha burst through the crowd and gently kneeled before the freezing princess.

"Who authorized this?" The King exclaimed.

"It was upon royal decree from the King of Hyrule." My father responded.

The Zora King unleashed an exasperated huff and rolled his eyes. "May he be warned! This is what happens when you allow desperation to rule over reason."

"I can help!" I cried. But none of the soldiers heard me. With all the passion I had boiling in my body, I pushed past the soldier's barricade and burst into the inner circle where the Princess lay and Mipha leaned over her. Taken aback by the Princess's dying beauty before my eyes, I collapsed to my knees, desperate and yet unable to help her in the way that I wanted to.

"Let me help!" I cried. This time I felt everyone's eyes fall upon me.

"It's hypothermia." Mipha confirmed. She never took her eyes off of the Princess.

"Can you heal her?" My father asked.

"Yes."

"I want to help!" I cried again, my voice desperate, my actions useless. "Let me –"

I felt strong arms wrap around my waste and I was lifted up and removed from the chaos unfolding in the throne room.

"No!" I cried, twisting around in my father's ensnaring arms and desperately trying to retreat back to the Princess's side. "I can help!"

"You can help by staying out here." My father scolded. His expression was blank, emotionless. But, I knew it was because he couldn't let his true feelings show in a demanding situation like this. A Royal Knight never lets his emotions rule over his actions… like I had.

"But –"

"Don't be so reckless." He demanded and retreated back to the Princess's side.

Just then I felt a raindrop stain my cheek and the thunder rumbled the air again. It snapped me back into reality, and as I felt the rain from the dark storm soak my clothes, I realized something…

I wasn't much of a Royal Knight.


	4. I'm Only Human

"There has to be a map." I speculated as I examined the golden Thunder Helm glimmer in the dying light of the desert sunset.

"Yes I believe you're correct, Princess." Lady Urbosa agreed as she glanced at me from over her shoulder. "It must be hidden in one of the terminals…" Her voice faded off as she continued to ponder the thought further. "Yet, we have no way of activating it."

This had been the reoccurring problem looming over our heads for years now. The four Divine Beasts were discovered when I was about seven. Interspersed throughout the next nine years, the Shieka tribe discovered the Guardian army designed to destroy Ganon. However, despite our momentous discoveries and our scientific advancement, we had no way of activating these machines. If we couldn't activate them, we couldn't control them… and if we couldn't control them… We were powerless.

A feeling I knew all too well.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until Urbosa interrupted me from my thoughts. "Perhaps the Shieka have something? Some piece of ancient relic that controls the Divine Beasts?"

"It's quite possible," I replied and turned to face her. "I just haven't the slightest clue as to what it could be."

I steadily made my way over to where Lady Urbosa sat. She had made a quaint sitting area on the floor of the Divine Beast Naboris. We had spent the day researching the terminals and trying to discover how to activate all five of them. No matter our efforts, they proved to be futile, nothing seemed to work.

I took a defeated seat beside Lady Urbosa and placed the Thunder Helm beside me. I had spent all this time determined that this ancient Shieka technology could be activated by the Thunder Helm.

"But," I mumbled, thinking aloud. "What if I'm wrong?"

"Excuse me, Princess?" Lady Urbosa cocked her head to the side.

I perked up, the excitement of a new discovery sparked my mood.

"Think about it," I began. "All this time we've been determined that the power to activate the Divine Beasts and the Guardians came from the electricity within the Thunder Helm… right?"

"Yes…?"

"Well," I inhaled. "What if it's not the helm at all? What if it's much simpler than that?"

"What are you suggesting? That we stop working with the Thunder Helm?"

"Yes, exactly!" I exclaimed, my excitement practically bursting at the seams. "The power from the Thunder Helm doesn't seem to be working. What if, instead…"

I jumped to my feet and practically ran to the central terminal. Urbosa was quick to follow. Before I had a chance to explain, I held the piece of ancient technology Impa had given me to the terminal. A glowing bright blue light burst out of the terminal and lit up the Gerudo desert sky. A deep rumble coursed through Divine Beast Naboris as she woke up from her long slumber and I struggled to stay upright.

"The Sheika slate!" Lady Urbosa gasped. She cocked her head to the side and let out deep laugh. "All this time," she began. "It's been the Sheika Slate all along."

A spark of excitement ignited my veins and I reveled in the moment. It's been a long time since I had felt such a feeling before. Finally, my hours of dedication toward the Shieka research has finally paid off.

If only my father were here to have witnessed it… then, perhaps he wouldn't think I was such a failure.

My face fell and I dropped my eyes to the glowing Shieka slate in my hands, my positive mood seemed to have vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

"Is something wrong, Princess?" Lady Urbosa asked, I could see the smile on her face fade to worry.

"I'm fine," my voice was soft. "I'm just becoming tired." It wasn't a lie. I had been out in the desert surveying the land for the most part of the day, and the hot sun had definitely taken its toll on me.

"Come," Lady Urbosa placed gentle hands on my shoulder and guided me back to the feathered pillows. "You've had a trying day, it's time you relax and recover. We can relish in our accomplishments tomorrow, once everyone arrives."

I gave her a tired, yet questioning look as I sat beside her. "Everyone?"

"Yes, Princess. You have just made an incredible discovery. I believe it is necessary to call a gathering of the King, the Champions, and Impa, Purah and Robbie to share our new information."

"Do you really think that's necessary?" I stifled a yawn, the straining tiredness pulled at the corners of my eyes.

"Absolutely, we must inform them all. Link will want to –"

"No."

I was immediately alert and awake. "Link will not be joining us in this meeting. This matter does not concern him."

Lady Urbosa gave me a calm smile. "Princess,"

"No, Urbosa. I mean it this time. I don't want him here."

This was the one moment of success I have had in a very long time, if not ever, I didn't want it tainted by the constant reminder of my continuous failure with that sword plastered to his back.

"My dear Zelda," Lady Urbosa opened her arms and gave me a warm smile. Like I have done so many times before, ever since my mother had passed away, I crawled into her welcoming embrace. For a moment, I let my mind relax, my raging heart calmed and I felt safe. A feeling I couldn't seem to hold on to without her here.

"Link is your appointed Knight," she reminded me. "Your own father chose him to protect you. He chose the best knight in all of Hyrule for his beloved daughter. He wants you safe."

"The only reason my father picked him was because Link was the only one who could pull the Master Sword. My father didn't pick him as my appointed knight because of me. It's always been about Calamity Ganon…" I nestled my head deeper into the nook of Urbosa's arm. "It's never been about me."

Urbosa was silent for a while, I felt her embrace tighten around my body, keeping me warm from the chilling wind drifting in from the desert.

"Your father loves you, Zelda."

"Hmm…" I wanted to state a witty response, but the shades of sleep were pulling the blinds over my eyes and I couldn't do anything but listen as Lady Urbosa cooed.

"All who protect you, love you."

I held on to her words for as long as I could before I started to dream… well, at least I thought it was a dream.

As I lay there, comfortable in Lady Urbosa's arms, I could have sworn I heard another voice.

"Should we take her inside, my Lady?" It sounded familiar, like one of the Gerudo guards I had passed by earlier this morning.

"Not quite yet," She responded. "Bullaria, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes, my Lady?"

As sleep drifted me in and out of consciousness, I could've sworn I felt Lady Urbosa's fingertips play with my blond hair, brushing it out of my face.

"Alert the appointed knight," Her voice started to drift from my ears. My body helpless, the final threads of sleep pulling me into the dreamy darkness.

"His Princess is here."


	5. Beating Heart

I don't know what to say…

These last few months have… well, changed things.

Even now, as I sit here in this quaint little house, watching him chop up mushrooms, I watch his hands delicately maneuver the blade and I'm instantly transported back to that moment…

When he saved me.

Just when I thought my life was over, when I felt the hate from the Yiga Clan drip off into a deadening vengeance, he was there for me. Without a single hesitation, he came to me when I needed him the most. Despite how childishly I've treated him, taking my selfish anger out on him at every turn. He protected me.

I won't ever forget that.

I can't…

Ever since that moment, I've grown close to him. I started by apologizing to him, to Link. He seemed confused. I don't think he quite understood why someone within the Royal family would apologize to a Knight…

But, he doesn't see just how incredible he is.

Those eyes who's gaze once agitated me, I have grown to crave. That quiet presence behind me, which once frustrated me, I now find comforting. His elegant swordsmanship with that sacred blade which once infuriated me, I now admire.

There's not much I enjoy in this life… my research and my adventures… but ever since I have developed this friendship with Link, I've found joy in almost everything.

"Would you like if I add a spicy pepper to your mushroom skewer?" Link asked, he turned to face me.

I snapped my diary shut and stood up from his kitchen table. We were making our way to Akkala research tower to visit Robbie. He had been making ancient Sheika relics which could help us in our fight against Ganon. After about a half days' ride into our journey, I became exhausted and Link offered to prepare us dinner as we pass the night in his home in Hateno village.

"I was actually thinking…" I responded as I edged closer to where Link stood in the kitchen, preparing our dinners. "What if we added a Moblin horn to the sauce?"

Link gave me a disgusted look.

"No, really!" I continued and immediately started riffling through my bag searching for the item. "You killed two of them yesterday and I kept their horns! I was reading that Moblin horns can provide an extra enhancement to ingredients that provide extra skill! Like spicy peppers."

Link ran a hand through his hair and turned to face me with a slight smile. "No way Princess, monster parts mix well with elixirs, not food."

"Please!" I edged closer to him and placed the two Moblin horns in his hand. "Can you test my theory?"

I watched as a slight blush danced across his cheeks. His crystal blue eyes gave a fleeting sparkle and he wrapped his fingers around the Moblin horns. His skin gently touched mine and my heart started to race.

"As you wish, princess."

"Thank you!" I was giddy with excitement.

Link watched as I jumped with thrill and clasped my hands together. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smile as he ducked through the door to the cooking pot outside.

I bit my cheek, trying to hide the butterflies pounding on the walls in my stomach. I don't know what it is, but ever since Link and I have grown closer, I've been feeling… different… and I like it.

As Link cooked away outside, I decided I'd familiarize myself with the boy chosen by the sword. My eyes traced the edges of the tiny cabin. This was where he grew up. A single kitchen table with two chairs, a staircase leading to a single bed and a desk with a Silent Princess glowing in the lone window.

It was very different than the grand halls I knew. Those mahogany doors felt like a prison after a while… and when you have royal guard after royal guard escorting you wherever you want to go, it begins to feel like you're constantly under house-arrest.

But, sitting here, looking at Link's home… I didn't feel that way… not in the slightest.

I felt free.

"Dinner is served, Princess!" Link's voice chimed in from the doorway and I turned to greet him with a smile. "I can't promise it'll be any good, but it has the Moblin horn sauce as you requested."

"Excellent!" I beamed at him and took a seat at the table. Link's eyes lingered on me for a moment as he gently placed the mushroom skewer before me.

At least… I thought it was supposed to be a mushroom skewer. The mushrooms were barely visible and the spicy peppers looked like a congealed goo above the mushroom pieces. Surrounding the food was a greenish brown mush that had white pieces of Moblin horn sticking out.

Without taking a single bite, I glanced at Link sitting across from me. I expected him to have the same disgusted look as before, but this time when I glanced up at him, he was halfway done eating.

His eyes met mine and he paused mid chew, grimacing.

We held our gaze for a brief moment, then burst out laughing.

"I really thought it would work!" I explained, wiping away a tear from laughing so hard.

"Hey," Link smiled at me. "It's not that bad!"

"Coming from the man who will eat anything!"

"You asked me too!"

"Oh, and you'll do anything I ask?" I cocked my head to the side, joking.

Link's smile began to fade, and he looked at me with level eyes and I instantly regretted saying those words. That friendly atmosphere we had worked so hard to build and flourish under was suddenly shattered by the sharp edges of reality.

In that moment, we were both reminded of our positions and our duties. I carry the blood of the Goddess, it was my responsibility to awaken my power to seal Ganon away. He was my appointed Knight, it was his responsibility to protect me from danger and fight back Ganon… anything else, and we're just deluding ourselves.

"Yes, Princess," His voice was soft, but his eyes were serious. "I'll do anything you ask."

I bit my cheek and stood up from the table. Suddenly, I didn't feel so hungry.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," I mumbled under my breath. "Call me Zelda."

Link was silent. I knew that silence all too well… I just never wanted to be the burden that caused it.

Wishing for a change of subject, I turned away from the table and climbed the stairs to the study and bedroom. Perhaps Link had some books that could preoccupy my mind. I heard his light footsteps tread behind second I climbed the final stair, my eyes fell upon something familiar and my body froze.

There, hanging next to the window, the rising moon spilling a luminescent glow upon the picture, was a painting of a beautiful woman, a royal knight and Link as a child.

There was more than one person I recognized in that painting…

"I know him." I pointed to the painting. "I know that Knight."

Link raised his eyes to the painting and then back at me, studying my face.

"Yes," He responded. "He's my father."

"Your father?" I tried to connect the dots, but I couldn't draw my eyes away from his familiar face. "He was my royal guard at the castle!" I caught my breath. "He was my guard up until my father appointed you." My voice became hushed. "He saved me."

"Yes," Link's voice was solemn. "I know."

"Where is he?" I exclaimed. "I must see him!"

Link's response was silent.

Slowly, I turned to face Link, fearing the worse. His steady, sorrow gaze confirmed my fear.

"Link…"

"He died a week after I was appointed to you." His voice was even. He stated those words like a true Royal Knight. No emotion, no expression, bearing all burdens without fault.

I bit my cheek. Link's father's death stung. He had treated me like a daughter, more so than my own father. I could feel my heart pang with a hurt I hadn't felt since… well… my own mother's death.

"I didn't know he had died," I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold myself together. Royalty wasn't supposed to falter.

"You and I were traveling to Rito Village. The funeral had already passed by the time we returned to the castle."

I raised my shocked eyes to meet his. Still, his bright blue gaze remained ever so steady.

"You missed your own father's funeral?" The words left my mouth before I could even comprehend what I was saying. I clenched my body tighter as the guilt almost wrecked through my body.

"He would have wanted me by your side."

I was silent for a while, staring at Link, desperately trying to find an inkling of feeling beneath that stoic figure. To know I was the cause of him missing his own father's funeral stole the words out from under my tongue. I could only imagine the hatred Link must have felt for me. I had treated him so poorly and after all this time, he'd been dealing with the loss of a family member.

Slowly, I raised my eyes to the painting again.

"What about your mother?"

Link was silent for a while, "You must be tired."

"Link," My voice was soft but firm. "I need to know. What happened to her?"

I saw a crack of humanity leak from those calm eyes. It wasn't pain or anger that he was feeling. No, it was worry. He was worried about me for some strange reason.

The loss of my father was too much for her to bear."

My knees gave in and I fell to the floor.

Link reached out and caught me before I even touched the ground. He scooped me up in my arms and brought me to the bed, gently placing me down on the feathered mattress.

Breath Zelda, breath," He cooed, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking. He firmly grabbed hold of my cold, trembling fingers and breathed with me, calming my nerves. His fingers felt warm as they laced themselves between mine.

His vibrant eyes searched my face. I glanced away from his captivating gaze.

"You must hate me." My voice was shaky and I was beginning to lose control again.

"Hate you?" Link gasped. He gave my hands a gentle squeeze.

"Zelda, look at me." His voice was dripping with concern. I didn't look at him. I couldn't bring myself to see my shame reflected in his eyes.

Gently, he placed his thumb under my chin and turned my head to face him. His eyes entranced me. He had nothing but admiration and concern for me.

"I could never hate you." His voice was soft, but pure. I could tell, he meant it. "It's not right, no. But, this is the way things had to be. I don't regret any of it." He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

Slowly, I recovered my breathing. His fingers remained under my chin and I didn't pull away. His eyes flickered down and I felt his forefinger gently trace the outline of my lips. I heard a longing breath escape his lips and I felt a heat suddenly start to rise between us. His fingers lightly traced their way up to my cheek and I leaned into his touch. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to calm his scattered breathing. I could practically hear his heart pounding in his chest. I raised my hand to my cheek and gently interlocked my fingers with his.

The second our fingers entangled, his eyes locked with mine. There was a fiery passion behind those ice blue eyes and I wanted nothing more than to become a part of that passion.

I leaned forward…

Link pulled away and turned his back toward me. "You should get some sleep, Princess."

My heart was pounding in my ears. I don't know what just overcame me, but it was something I'd never felt before.

"You'll need a goodnight's sleep if you want to travel to Akkala tomorrow, Princess."

"Zelda," I whispered. The way he spoke my name was enchanting. I liked it so much more than when he called me Princess.

Link cautiously turned to look at me. That fire was still burning in his eyes, I saw him assess me, sitting on his bed, as he slowly pulled away from me.

"I'll sleep on the floor, downstairs." He drew in a heavy breath before turning away from me and retreating to the downstairs.

Just before he turned to leave, he shot me one last glance from over his shoulder. "Goodnight, Zelda."


End file.
